The Heavy Set have a mountain and mike munson

The Heavy Set, everyone’s favorite Winona to Minneapolis transplant, is back with a new offering called, “Everyone’s Got a Mountain”. It’s not necessarily a departure from their previous work but a step towards perfecting what was already a good thing. Their unique mix of Americana, hard edged rock, alt-country and blues is still intact, but Jake Ilika has pushed the songwriting and lyrical depth to a new level. Check them out on the end of their Midwest Winter tour this Saturday with mike munson at Ed’s (no name) Bar.

The Interview Part:

Nothing will make Munson change. Nothing.

So, “Everybody’s Got A Mountain” is out now. Are you pleased at how it all turned out and are you pleased with the reception so far?

Yeah, the release shows went great, and the reception to the new album has been better than expected. New fans, reviews in media, radio play and making the Top 89 polls on The Current are all very exciting.

How was it getting the new album out on the road?

It’s been a blast. The band has never been out this far, this long. The shows have been great, the new friends and connections, all that’s been awesome.

Did you enjoy playing the new stuff better than your old stuff?

We’re still getting the hang of some of the new songs, but have also been changing up the approach to older songs. Still a mixed bag. I really enjoy playing the new material.

How many times did Jake get drunk and do Christopher Walken? And did any newer drunken impressions emerge from him on tour?

Minimal Walken impersonations, but new ones have included my youngest son being defiant to anything, a random guy in KC recommending BBQ and a Russian guy as we played Euchre and drank vodka.

The Details:

A walking contradiction of both great complexity (like the show LOST) and simple pleasures (like MTV's The Grind...does that still exist? The show or MTV, I guess). Because of this strange dichotomy, he's the kind of guy that enjoys a good introspective film, art museum, or avant garde puppet show equally as much as singing "Sister Christian" at karaoke in a seedy dive or finding a place to get half price apps, a good burger, and a decent bloody mary.